I've been impatiently waiting a l-o-o-ong time for large sunspots to finally reappear since the last solar minimum. As the new 25th Cycle began in September 2020, the long trek to solar maximum has been producing very little activity on the surface. Solar Maximum is expected to be between 2023 through 2026, so hopefully, the Sun will decide to end this last, seemingly extra-long minimum period.
For more than a year, I've been checking my Solar App frequently and I was finally greeted with a huge sunspot group on June 30th, 2021 at 10:05 in the morning. Having been disappointed for so long, I immediately pulled out my Explore Scientific 102mm apo-refractor and put in my Herschel Wedge. I was amazed at the sight ~ the view was almost perfect! For the first time (since probably forever), the New Jersey sky was stable and steady - not causing my image to bounce all over the place as I tried to get images saved to my hard drive.
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality, the majority of thanks go in large part to Mother Nature.
Keith Marley
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